The Origin Story Of Star Wars' Rebel And Empire Symbols
Looking over "Star Wars," it's kind of astonishing how well-equipped the Rebels are. Keep in mind, they're called the Rebels; they don't sport a name that indicates what kind of government they represent should their rebellion be successful, nor do they have a provisional government set up anywhere (at least that's not seen in the original 1977 film). I know there's expanded universe lore, sequels, prequels, novels, etc., that explain everything in the "Star Wars" universe from a government perspective, but in the 1977 original, the details are left intentionally vague.
They even have their own symbols emblazoned on their uniforms and helmets. It makes sense for the Empire to have such symbols — they definitely have the size and the industrial resources to manufacture their own equipment — but the Rebels? One might think their symbol is merely something scrawled on the walls of Empire buildings and a symbol of defiance. Naturally, however, there is a larger story to the symbol.
The Rebel symbol is a circular glyph that resembles a bird. Two points at its 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions resemble wingtips, and protrusion from its center looks like a flat, diamond-shape bird head. The Empire symbol, meanwhile, has radial crenelations making it look like a cogwheel.
Both of the symbols were designed by Oscar-winner John Mollo, the costume designer for "Star Wars" and "Gandhi," as well as "Alien," "Outland," "Cry Freedom," "Chaplin," and "Event Horizon." In issue #98 of Star Wars Insider Magazine, published in 2007, a reader reached out to Mollo about the meaning of the symbols. His answers, one might find, are a little pedestrian.
The Empire and Rebel symbols in Star Wars don't have any meaning
A writer for Star Wars Insider forwarded a question written by a fan to Mollo, and he was very forthcoming. It seems that the Empire symbol was derived from ancient battlement schematics. It also seems that piece of costuming/technical equipment had to be ordered in bulk. Mollo said:
"The metal insignia used on the Imperial Officers' cap and belt buckles, was an aluminum pulley which was part of a record turntable mechanism, which we bought in bulk and used exactly as they were. The circular black and white logo used on the Imperial helmets was designed by me, and was based on a series of sketches working out the possible use of shapes occurring in 18th Century fortification."
The hat/belt symbols were merely small metal cylinders, not used super-prominently in the "Star Wars" movies. The "cog" symbol seen in the photo above was 100% Mollo's creation. He also designed the Rebel symbol, but that was more of a freehand exercise. He said:
"The Rebel logo I take to be the one on the Fighter Pilots' helmets. This was again designed by me — no particular sources used this time."
One can see the Rebel symbol in the photo at the top of this article. The symbol was eventually called the Alliance Starbird, and expanded universe lore — specifically Sean Williams' 2008 novel "The Force Unleashed" — explains that it was once the crest of the Marek family, as one of its members was once an apprentice of Darth Vader. The Marek crest was blended with a symbol used for the old Jedi Order, giving us the "phoenix" we all know and love.